· Blenders International · Water Science
Soft water, hard water, and the myth of the whisky region — Speyside, Islay, and what the water actually does
Speyside is soft, the Highlands are hard, Islay runs acidic with peat. The regional water map is real — but it shapes the spirit at the mash tun, not in your glass. Here is what the geology does, and where the romance ends.